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Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho feud kicks off at UEFA conference as childish pair back at it again

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger reportedly tried to stop old foe and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho from sitting next to him at a UEFA conference.

The pair both attended the event in Nyon last week along with a number of top coaches from around Europe including Carlo Ancelotti, Massimiliano Allegri and Zinedine Zidane, while Sir Alex Ferguson hosted and also gave a speech.

While it all remained cordial on the whole, Marca claim there was incident when Mourinho arrived late and was looking for a spare seat and saw one opposite Zidane and Unai Emery.

The report suggests that when he asked if the seat was free, Wenger was quick to respond with: “No, it’s not possible,” which was met with some laughter while others continued to pretend they hadn’t heard it.

It’s just the latest in a string of incidents between the pair which include their shoving match at Stamford Bridge two years ago, while they refused to shake hands after the Community Shield game in 2015.

Further, they’ve swapped plenty of digs at one another through the media in press conferences and interview, with Mourinho even deciding that it was appropriate to aim a sideswipe at his rival during his unveiling as United boss earlier this summer.

While the Portuguese tactician will rekindle his rivalry with Pep Guardiola this weekend in the Manchester derby, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll ever be on friendly terms with two of his biggest rivals throughout his career in England and Spain.

Wenger may well have just tried to break the ice and make a funny remark with his dry sense of humour, but naturally the report will only lead to further tension and speculation that they are still at each other’s throats.